Cult of Saint Oronzo – In the history of any civilized people, a city, large or small, celebrates its most important character for merits, whether it is a saint, a leader, a politician or a poet a writer. In the main square of Ostuni, the most significant baroque monument stands out: the spire, column or obelisk in honor of the patron saint, Oronzo, which acts as a traffic divider for those heading towards the medieval village and the adjacent streets.
On the top of the column, the statue of the Saint, dressed in sacred vestments, with his right hand raised up in the act of blessing the city and in his left hand the Gospel and the crosier. The Saint who in 1656 had warded off a deadly disease, the plague, which claimed thousands of victims throughout the south, while Ostuni was preserved.A popular legend claims to have seen the Saint furrow the leaden clouds under the guise of an old lady that warded off demons, a scene described in a painting found on the so-called “plague stone” which was built in devotion to the Saint. Many were the miracles attributed to the Saint both in healing people, but even more in warding off calamities and diseases cruel. Historians of the time affirmed that to fight the curse were used perfumed pills, special medicines and in Ostuni lime was used to whitewash the houses, roofs and even the doors, already since then Ostuni was called “the white city”. Patron Saint, on 25, 26 and 27 August, the most awaited feast of Ostuni takes place, the so-called “Cavalcade of Sant’oronzo” originally called “Cavalcade of the devotees”, a moment that stimulates faith, but also curiosity thousands of spectators from neighboring countries and tourists. A procession of horses and knights dressed up for festivities parade through the streets of the city, escorting the patron Saint Oronzo, the ride originated in 1657, when every 26 August the Ostuni went in procession to the sanctuary erected in his honor. An entire family has dedicated itself every year, since that year, to the dressing of the horse, a real ritual. One of the most important decorations is the cloak embroidered strictly by hand, with painstaking patience. The knight also wears a uniform, with a jacket that incorporates the embroidery of the cloak, and white trousers. Horses and riders await the exit of the statue of the Saint from the Cathedral church. The statue is preceded by the Bishop with the prelates of the diocese and by the authorities. The procession is opened by a trio of players, who perform an ancient refrain at the end of the ride, in Piazza della Libertà, the performance of operatic and symphonic pieces, all with the backdrop of the inevitable illuminations. Finally, the fireworks could not be missing.
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